CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs made their pitch to Dusty Baker. He listened and asked plenty of questions about the team that wants him as its manager.

	“	It went very well. I know they've had their problems, but they're committed to winning. I really believe that and I think they believe I can help them win. ”
		— Dusty Baker

The former San Francisco Giants skipper sounded plenty interested following a 3½-hour meeting and then dinner Monday with Cubs president Andy MacPhail and general manager Jim Hendry.

Tuesday, Baker and most of the other parties involved in the negotations (other than Hendry) left for home.

Team officials will meet with Baker's agent, Jeff Moorad, to talk about financial details Tuesday and there's a good chance a deal can be worked out by week's end.

According to ESPN's Peter Gammons, negotiations have been positive, productive and will continue over the phone for the next few days.

"I think since Dusty became available, he was going to be our choice," Hendry said Monday night from Phoenix, Ariz., where the meeting took place.

"We had a nice chat with Dusty all afternoon," Hendry said. "He's a tremendous guy and it was a good day. Now we'll just try to proceed."

Hendry said the meeting centered mostly on baseball, including topics such as the Cubs' minor league system and their young pitching staff.

"He had some outstanding questions and a lot of knowledge," Hendry said.

"It went well," Baker told the Chicago Tribune on Monday night. "It went very well. I know they've had their problems, but they're committed to winning. I really believe that and I think they believe I can help them win."

Earlier, Baker said a four-year contract would probably be the ideal length should he be offered and accept the job of turning around one of baseball's longtime losers.

Baker became available when the Giants announced last week he wouldn't return, less than two weeks after San Francisco lost to Anaheim in Game 7 of the World Series.

Hendry was on the phone with Baker the next day, setting up the meeting with the three-time NL manager of the year, whose teams averaged 91 victories during the past six seasons.

Hendry was already in Arizona, first for the team's organizational meeting and then for a general managers' meeting in Tucson.

While Baker was away on a hunting trip last weekend, a report surfaced that he owes more than $1 million in back taxes and penalties due to some bad investments he made in the early 1980s.

The tax issue will not have a bearing on Baker's candidacy.